Himalayan ‘glacier bankruptcy’ threatens water security for 2 billion in Asia

The Himalayas are approaching a tipping point as glaciers melt faster than a decade ago, threatening water security as the region approaches “peak water” by mid-century, according to a study released this month.

The findings come after the collapse of a Himalayan glacier in late August along the ‌Nepal-Tibet border, which caused cascading landslides and flash floods in the valleys below. At least 1,300 people have been confirmed dead and more than 5,300 are missing across Nepal and China’s Tibet region.

As glaciers retreat, they are leaving behind unstable glacial lakes held back by little ⁠more than loose rock and ice, above valleys where millions of people live, ‌the study found.

The study was produced by Systemiq, a sustainability advisory firm, together with the Integrated Mountain Initiative, the International ‌Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, and India’s G.B. Pant National Institute of ⁠Himalayan Environment.

Himalayan glacier mass loss has accelerated in recent decades, while only 21 glaciers were currently monitored on the ground out of an estimated 40,000 glaciers across the Hindu Kush-Himalaya region, the study found.